All Over Again
by ravage.repair
Summary: During something so terrible, who knew that a guy like Larsa could be the one to cheer Penelo up? Larsa/Penelo -oneshot-


**Disclaimer: I don't own the game.  
****Story Idea Creator and Dedicated To: zestychicken2. **

Penelo woke up underneath polar white sheets. Her fingers were shaking and her vision was blurry. A light was breaking through the small, curtained window creating a pang in the upper corner of her head.

"Penelo?" a voice from the corner questioned, "Are you awake?"

She turned her head slowly to face the boy standing next to her. He was plopped into a hospital chair, and it looked like he hadn't moved from it in a long while. He had large crescent bags under his eyes, the color of nightfall, and he was smiling but you could see the weary corners of his mouth just waiting to drop.

"La- Larsa," she fumbled, "I- What are you doing here?" she pulled the sheets up to her neck suddenly feeling very exposed as the cold air whipped around and shot at her bare skin.

"Thank god you're alright!" he said getting the urge to hug the poor girl lying so limply in bed.

Penelo's eyes began to tear up, "But Vaan isn't?" She knew the answer to her question, but for some reason she held hope that Vaan was still safe- and well, alive.

Larsa looked pained himself; he didn't want to share the news with the blonde but knew it had to be done, "He- He didn't make it Penelo."

Somewhere in her heart she had already known that and somewhere really deep, she believed Larsa was just being selfish and lying to her but she smiled at him anyways and muttered, "Thank you."

He nodded, "Not a problem." His head turned to the side and his eyelids fell shut but only for a moment. In the bright lighting of the room, it made things easier to examine. Penelo mentally cooed about how adorable his thick, dark eyelashes were as he tried to stay awake, and how fair, yet stunning his skin tone was.

She giggled and he glanced over at her- stunned by what she was doing, "What's wrong?" he asked thinking she must be in hysterics or something.

"You've got adorable eyes!" she said pushing on his cheeks and turning his head to face her, "Really, really adorable eyes!"

Larsa frowned, he hated when people gushed about his features- girls especially. It made him extremely uncomfortable and even more so as his cheeks grew crimson once he realized _who_ exactly was examining his features. Penelo sighed and turned back to stare at all the IV's hooked up to her frail body. She longed for getting up and jumping around- preferably with Vaan by her side, but knew that it just wasn't the same. Her urge to cry was growing but definitely not in front of Larsa, besides why cry over something she couldn't bring back- oh yeah, because if was supposed to make her feel better. She let out a huff knowing the only thing that EVER would make her feel better was sliding back into Vaan's arms and joking around with him.

"Th- Thank you," he stuttered, standing up from his chair and staring back down at her drained face, "I should be going."

"Don't leave me!" Penelo cried, "I need some company- please stay!" she took his wrist gently, "You can even share the bed!" her head pulsed- Vaan and her had slept in the same bed before, right next to each other, and not in a sexual way either but in a friendly way- like the friends they **were **or _had been._

Larsa turned every shade of red in the book at that comment, "The bed?" he mumbled staring at the single bed, with the small space for him to lie in, while Penelo would lie but half an inch away from him, "I don't think so," he muttered and sat back in the chair, uncomfortable but content.

Penelo shrugged her shoulders and began prodding Larsa for answers about all the others aboard the ship when it crashed. She was growing happier by the minute, her mind shifting from Vaan to all of her amazing friends, safe and sound and mourning the lose in each others arms. She was just glad at that moment to have somebody there; edging _her_ along and making _her_ feel better.

In future days she would cry over Vaan, just like any friend would do- after all she had LOVED Vaan. If he wasn't dead, she would be falling for him the same way, every single day because he was surprising and romantic like that, spontaneous even. She had a crush on him; she always had, so she cried about how maybe she _really didn't _or hadn't? But day after day, Larsa was there, being uptight and prude, demanding and a complete smart ass, but day after day, he healed her, made her feel better, called in doctor after doctor making sure everything was running alright. He would compliment her hair, although it stayed the same, and he would say she looked amazing even though torn down my injuries. He was charming in his own way, and even though it wasn't the same as Vaan's, it was still equally as amazing.

Her release date had been settled, she was excited to go home. It was too late to attend Vaan's funeral, that had happened a long time ago but she was welcome to visit where he was buried. Larsa wasn't there when she woke up that morning and that dug a pit in the bottom of her stomach. She stood up on her own for once, her legs wobbly and tender because she'd been down for so long. She turned back to the bed to pull up the sheet because she couldn't stand having it unmade. She closed her eyes and felt two hands on her waist. She cocked her head, and stumbled for words when she saw who it was.

"Thank you." She blushed, noticing the crimson on Larsa's cheeks as well.

"Are you sure it's such a grand idea to be standing in the condition your in? I feel that you should gradually work yourself up into walking?" he said setting her down in the chair that still rest next to her bed.

She curled up in it, her eyes darting to focus in on his. Today her eyes didn't sparkle like they had all the other times he had glanced into them. Larsa let his slender fingers slide over her cheek, brushing past a few flaxen strands to reveal fresh skin covering deep wounds.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, feeling a little guilty for getting so close to her, and feeling bad because that chair held so much that he could never really regain.

Penelo shook her head, "I want to be able to walk and jump and goof off again!" she smiled at the thought, "I want to do it with Vaan- but more so, I want to do all that with you?"

Larsa pulled back his head, "I don't goof off," he shook his head and backed up, "Penelo?"

She sighed and looked at her toes which she had rested on the floor, "I know," she said, "But it was just an idea?" her heart pounded- no more goofing off for her, she was almost at an adult age and would need to be responsible. Larsa was younger then her and already he knew how to do all that, Penelo didn't really know how too.

Larsa bit his lip and pulled her head into his chest. She took a deep breath of his fresh scent and ran her nails down his torso. His heartbeat gave her goose bumps, his touch made her flesh crawl, she was repulsed by the idea of _liking _him but she wanted **more.**

"I…," she stammered, "I think I like you Larsa." She smiled up at him, her eyes glittering, "And I want you to come with me when I see Vaan, that way I know where my life should turn too."

Larsa was flattered that she wanted him too but he didn't know how to accept, so he just nodded nervously and kissed her forehead with his cold, soft lips. Butterflies erupted in both their stomachs, and a trigger went off in Penelo's head.

_She really liked Larsa._


End file.
